Machiavelli's emphasis that the ends justify the means had been expressed earlier by
A) China's Confucius.
B) Japan's Minamoto.
C) India's Kautilya.
D) Rome's Cicero.
E) Persia's Zarathustra.

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

India's Kautilya, also known as Chanakya, was a political philosopher and advisor to the Mauryan emperor Chandragupta. His work, the Arthashastra, emphasizes the importance of the state and the ruler's duty to maintain order and stability through whatever means necessary, including deception and violence. Kautilya's ideas predate Machiavelli by over a thousand years and share a similar emphasis on the ends justifying the means.

Machiavelli's Emphasis That the Ends Justify the Means Had Been